


Something new

by sleepyanimefan



Series: Match made in somewhere [1]
Category: Given (Manga)
Genre: Angst, Awkwardness, Flirting, M/M, Propositions, Self-Doubt, character death (mentioned)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:27:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27624727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyanimefan/pseuds/sleepyanimefan
Summary: [Warning: These events take place after chapter 37 of the manga, so anime-viewers and those who have not reached chapter 37 of the manga, proceed with caution!]“I am very very honored and flattered… Onii-san looks very respectable and kinda like a doll or an angel out of a storybook, but I have zero experience in… errr… ‘playing’ with such a character… or truthfully, with anybody. But I do live and breathe music which seems like something onii-san does, too, so how about we grab a bite and talk music instead? Onii-san looks hungry and kinda sad… I hope a good udon or okonomiyaki will help?”
Series: Match made in somewhere [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2054373
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Something new

**Author's Note:**

> I have never written romance before, but this is my attempt at making sense of the mess the anime/manga Given has turned my mind into. I have some plot bunnies running around in my mind with no clear destinations in mind. It's almost 3am and I wrote this instead of sleeping sooo... forgive me for any mistakes!

Uenoyama feels trapped, which is a very unpleasant for a genius like himself. The growing and barely visible problems he has with Mafuyu and his dead boyfriend is not something he can solve as easily as he’s been acing those natural science tests in his godforsaken high school. His frustration grows when he calls Mafuyu to ask if he was okay and why he refused their offer to go out for ramen, but the vocalist does not pick up.

Heaven and hell, please know that I have tried… I am trying… Uenoyama thinks to himself, fists clenching and unclenching. The guitarist hates Hiragii, but he kind of understands the reasons for the whole mess they’re in. Grief is powerful, and ugly… And despite his fiery jealousy whenever he listens to Hiragii and Yagi prove their superiority in understanding Mafuyu, he does acknowledge that their tight-knit friendship is truly special, and all three of them need closure.

What scares and haunts Uenoyama is that performing Yuki’s unfinished song may not result in closure or escape from Yuki’s presence… that honestly, Uenoyama is 100% not equipped to save himself, never mind save Mafuyu from the ghost of Yuki. Is that even possible, he wonders?

With his unending mental turmoil, the black-haired guitarist goes to what seems to have helped him achieve good things in his life so far: music. Self-learning and mastering the guitar has enabled him to realize his potential and skills and make somewhat of a name for himself*, meet and form a band with Haruki-san and Kaji-san and of course… caught the interest and affection of Mafuyu.

Now if only people and emotions were as easy as music…

After joining the Seasons and now Given, Uenoyama stopped playing solo in shady venues like bars and clubs (Haruki-san had lectured in one of their first band meetings and he easily agreed), but tonight… With the gruesome session with freaking Hiragii and Yagi, failure to get Mafuyu to join their ramen outing and the haunting melody of Yuki’s now finished song stuck inside his mind, the blue-eyed high-schooler decides to text Yayoi that he would be home very late because of band practice so she had to take care of dinner herself. He then calls Tsubaki who works at the venue that his band performed A Winter Story.

“Tsubaki-san, this is Uenoyama. I hope this is not a bad time, do you know anywhere I can strum my guitar tonight?”

“Eeeeh, Uesama, I thought Given’s waiting for the next big event. Are you going solo again?”

“No no, nothing like that…” _yet_ whispered anxious self dramatically. “I just need to let out some steam. It doesn’t have to be big, I don’t want this to be connected to Given.”

“I see, I think there’s a place in Shibuya? Hang on let me ask my friends again and text you the details? I’m sure if I drop your name, they’ll be happy to have you for the evening.”

Uenoyama holds back a sigh of relief.

“Thanks a lot, Tsubaki-san.”

* * *

His obsessive listening to rock when he first learned the guitar allows Uenoyama to cover most songs requested in the bar Tsubaki-san sent him to. It turns out the owner used see the prodigy guitarist perform before the Seasons existed and even bought some of his CDs to motivate the guy’s children. Uenoyama feels quite strange to be reminded that he is somewhat known, too… Spending so much time with Hiragii and Mafuyu makes him forget that he has his own music.

The bar hosts a good number of people, but it isn’t crazily crowded. As the evening progresses, Uenoyama’s mind becomes a little less heavy. It feels quite nice to play something not emotional draining… like Yuki’s song. Working with vocalists and musicians he does not know could be scary, but it is not a problem for him. It also helps that some songs have guitar riffs for intros that allow him to show off a bit and the customers respond well enough to it. Even better, when traffic is lower, Ue gets to play solo for a few minutes to create background noise. The guitarist is actually itching to sing something, too. His voice is nowhere near Mafuyu’s of course, but he knows it is not terrible…

After taking a small break to drink water and wash down some sort of bread, he asks the current manager if he could sing an English song later, and the lady tells him to wait for the hour that more foreigners visit. He is surprised by her easy agreement but then remembers that the actual owner has given the okay for him to be here tonight. And foreigners come and go, most are probably tourists so it wouldn’t really hurt if he sucks (not that he will). Giving a polite thank you and a bow, the guitarist goes back out to continue playing.

When it finally looks like the right time for Uenoyama to sing, it takes around thirty seconds for him to hesitate and wonder if this is a bright idea or he would just make a fool out of himself… But then things always go well when he puts in his best, so getting cold feet is just silly. Again, if he is going to die, might as well go while he’s still young.

With Mafuyu’s non-response to Given’s debut, uncertainty of Mafuyu’s reaction to Yuki’s song completed by him, Uenoyama is only sure that things are about to change drastically, so taking a deep breath, he starts letting out the baggage that has been residing in his body for the past few weeks…

_(**)It’s a truth that in love and war_

_Worlds collide and hearts get broken_

_I wanna live like I know I’m dying…_

When a few people in the front cheer and clap, the guitarist grows more confident and lets his music guide him. Words just flow out of him as his fingers gracefully dance across the strings.

_Wait, it’s just about to break, it’s more than I can take_

_Everything’s about to change_

_I feel it in my veins, it’s not going away_

_Everything’s about to change_

When the song ends, Uenoyama feels like a burden’s been lifted off him. He is also exhausted. His listeners’ applause is appreciated but they sound far away. He thanks the audience, bows, and retreats to the restroom. Splashing water onto his face, he mumbles to himself:

“What the hell am I doing…”

“You sounded like you know exactly what you’re doing out there, or at least, your music did.” A melodic and gentle voice coming from the doorway nearly makes Uenoyama’s heart jump straight out of his chest.

Uenoyama was met with a regal looking man whose height is probably the same as his but for some reason, the guitarist knows that he should be looking up at the stranger. He has this aura, and his eyes seem to be able to see everything and pierce right through the blue-eyed teenager. Like his voice, the man’s face is elegant, his expression gentle. The stranger looks… Uenoyama struggles to find the right word and ‘ethereal beauty’ comes to mind. It takes the guitarist by surprise because even then… when he first met Mafuyu, he did not have such thoughts running through his mind.

Like an idiot, the high-school student waves his hand and on autopilot says:

“Um, hi there? Thank you for watching me?”

“My my, so modest and shy. I thought you’d be more of the bad boy type with all that anger and passion. That voice of yours is okay but certainly has room for improvement… Your guitar-playing is quite inspiring, though.”

Uenoyama gapes for two seconds before rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, face turning red from getting both criticism and compliment from such a… striking person. (Why does he have the feeling that he is supposed to know who this man is?) The guitarist has this urge to please the stranger, like when he wanted to impress Haruki-san and Kaji-san in their first meetings.

“Aaah, sorry if my singing is not to onii-san’s (***) standard, I almost never sing…” about the guitar comment though… “but if onii-san likes my guitar playing, I can go back out there and make up for the terrible…”

“Oh, no need for that! I’m just wondering…” The stranger widens his smile and slowly approaches Uenoyama, making the teenager nervous suddenly. “if you can play me half as good as you play that guitar of yours?”

The sound of that voice gives Uenoyama a full body shiver. The close proximity makes the man’s presence hit the guitarist like a brick to the face. But then…

Eh? Waaaaaiiittttt...

Holy shit… Holy hell… Holy shit… HOLY SHIT!!! His virgin-self cried out frantically. Did he just get propositioned?! Him?! Socially-awkward, inexperienced Uenoyama Ritsuka???

Lady Luck must have favored Uenoyama a lot to have given him with such a calm facial expression. The only reaction he gives is a single stutter in his breathing, and he recovers quite quickly, already went through a similar ordeal a few months ago at Minato Mirai. For a split second, he almost takes a step back but refrains because that would hurt the stranger’s feeling. Although inexperienced, Uenoyama knows that people have one-night stands because they need to numb bad emotions (maybe?)

Mustering up all his courage, Uenoyama looks straight into the other’s eyes and put both of his hands on the other’s shoulders to convey his sincerity and respect, hoping to all higher deities that the stranger understands him and is not offended. The guitarist earnestly speaks:

“I am very very honored and flattered… Onii-san looks very respectable and kinda like a doll or an angel out of a storybook, but I have zero experience in… errr… ‘playing’ with such a character… or truthfully, with anybody. But I do live and breathe music which seems like something onii-san does, too, so how about we grab a bite and talk music instead? Onii-san looks hungry and kinda sad… I hope a good udon or okonomiyaki will help?”

_(It’s just a meal, he’s not doing anything wrong… right? His righteousness-self screeches.)_

Now the stranger looks startled and quite… amazed. A quiet chuckle escapes the man:

“You really are something else. A doll or angel, huh…” The stranger shakes his head merrily. “As you have noticed, I’m not hungry for food, but I could eat… Let’s go then, I’ll drive.”

“Aah, I have to say goodbye to the manager, I’ll see onii-san in the parking lot? I’ll be quick!”

After thanking the manager and fellow musicians for the evening and quick farewells, Uenoyama runs like the wind to the car park, not wanting to make his new… acquaintance wait. The man is still making his way out when the guitarist catches up, slowing down to match steps.

“I’m such an airhead, my name is Uenoyama Ritsuka. Onii-san hasn’t told me his name. I have a feeling I should know who onii-san is but I’m bad with faces and names.”

The stranger gives him a scrutinizing look and asks:

“You don’t listen to classical music, do you?”

“I do listen to a few popular pieces like Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Mozart’s Alla Turca and some piano sonatas, but I am not well verse in classical music, I am sorry.” Again, Uenoyama nervously looks down and rubs his neck. “All music is good to me though, so I’ll happily listen to onii-san talk about classical music!”

Uenoyama’s companion blinks and gently beams, patting his back comfortably as they approach an expensive car that makes the guitarist feel somewhat intimidated:

“You don’t have to be so nervous. I normally go out with violinists, but I wanted to try a new type tonight. I didn’t expect someone like you, but we’ll get along fine.”

Violinists?! Uenoyama’s brain short-circuits… Is the man a violinist himself?

The man takes out his key, opens the door and makes a gesture toward the teenager to get in.

“I am Murata Ugetsu. And don’t Google me. Let’s just be normal music lovers, tonight, neh, Ritsuka-kun?”

_(Is he in the twilight zone? Did this man just use his first name right off the bat?)_

“Hai, Ugetsu-san! It’s nice to meet you!”

Everything’s about to change.

**Author's Note:**

> *I think Itaya or Ueki mentioned that Uenoyama is kind of a big shot in some venues and sells his own CDs at some point.  
> **The song Uenoyama sings is “War of Change” by Thousand Foot Krutch.  
> ***Uenoyama addresses his elder bandmates quite formally so I’d figure with a stranger who seems to be in higher hierarchy than him, he would be even more respectful. My Japanese friend told me that all types of you, like omae, kimi, anta, anata, etc. in Japanese are rude sooo… this is what I came up with.


End file.
